Mama D'Lo
Mama D'Lo is a feature-length magical realist film set in the Maracas Valley in Trinidad & Tobago. Within a portrayal of everyday life in pre- and post-independence Trinidad, the film re-imagines an obscure Caribbean folklore story about an interspecies goddess named Mama D’Lo, who is the protector of the rivers. Mama D’Lo (Patois from French: “Maman de l’eau,” mother of the water) is a seductive shapeshifter and is known for disappearing men who pollute the river and damage the forests. According to local mythology, she is a creole figure with dark skin and flowing blonde hair, part human, part anaconda. She is rarely seen, and if she catches someone polluting the river, she will drag them underwater for two lifetimes. This film invokes Mama D'Lo against a contemporary backdrop of ecological disturbance, gender fluidity, and a community uprising.
Writer/Director: Lauren Marsden
Producer: Selwyn Jacob
Lauren Marsden
Lauren Marsden (she/they) is a Trinidadian-Canadian filmmaker and media artist based in Vancouver BC and the unceded, traditional and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people. As a storyteller, she focuses on narrative and experimental works that revolve around gender, creole identity, and the human impact on the land. With 15 years of experience as a media artist under her belt, her film and video work has been presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts, Pacific Cinematheque, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, New Media Gallery, Antimatter Film Festival, Cineworks, and SFMOMA, among many others. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria.
